When most people hear the term “fast food,” visions of grease-laden burgers and fries or pizza may still come to mind. But what with food trucks and healthful prepared food available in most any grocery store in the City, that definition is changing.
In Seattle, fast food in the form of teriyaki is as commonplace as pizza but much more healthful. The Japanese brought this combination of grilled meat or fish, vege-
tables and rice to Hawaii and then the West Coast in the 1920s. Many Japanese-style restaurants opened in Seattle after World War II, and then with an influx of Korean immigration in the ’60s and ’70s, a hybrid form of teriyaki was created and flourished in the Pacific Northwest.
If you want to try Seattle-style teriyaki, Glaze Teriyaki on Fillmore, founded by Seattle native Paul King is the place to go. Each teriyaki plate features a grilled chicken breast or thigh, organic salmon, Japanese-marinated hanger steak, soy-marinated tofu, wok vegetables, or boneless pork loin served with white or brown rice and salad. The meat is boneless and skinless, natural and antibiotic free, and Glaze thoughtfully highlights its several gluten-free options on its menu. (Traditional soy sauce contains gluten.) While the sweet and savory teriyaki sauce is already flavorful, those who want more heat can spend $1 extra for spicy, extra spicy, or “the hottest” sauce. For more variety, combo plates — like two teriyaki entrées or one teriyaki entrée plus a side of steamed edamame, cold soba noodle salad, cucumber salad, crispy gyoza (dumplings made with chicken, vegetables, or pork), or charred Asian pork ribs with spicy barbeque sauce over rice — are also available. Salad plate choices are salmon, chicken breast, or grilled tofu with sesame, carrot ginger, or gluten-free honey lemon dressing.
All the produce is locally sourced (organic when possible) and delivered fresh daily, the teriyaki sauces are all made in house daily, and the food is served on compostable plates. Sweets from local Devil’s Tooth Baking Company and sodas from Seattle-based Jones Soda Co. round out the menu. Glaze was designed using lots of reclaimed wood, and there’s even a heated outdoor patio just waiting for our Indian summer just around the corner. Everything is also available to go.
Now might just be the time to give a new kind of quick and easy dining a try!
Glaze Teriyaki: 1946 Fillmore Street (at Pine), 415-590-2199, www.glazeteriyaki.com, daily 11:30 a.m.–10:00 p.m.
